Rapper Machine Gun Kelly has shocked his millions of fans by changing his name on his Spotify and X accounts.
Eagle-eyed fans spotted the change – his name is now simply put as ‘mgk’.
The name of Machine Gun Kelly has long caused controversy. While it fits with his image and the nature of some of his tracks, he has had calls in the past 18 months to drop the ‘machine gun’ part of his name, given the huge amount of gun crime and violence that occurs in America – some see it as glorifying the weapon.
Last year, MGK did post on Instagram a post with the caption ‘machine’, indicating that he had changed his name, but now it appears he has changed it again – although the initials have long been used as a shorthand for his name. However, he hasn’t changed it on all platforms – at least not yet. At the time of writing, he is still @machinegunkelly on Instagram – although his bio simply says ‘colson xx blonde don’. MGK’s real name is Colson Baker.
This is the latest surprise move by MGK. He stunned fans in February when he unveiled his new tattoo, which has turned his upper chest and arms completely black, obscuring most of his famous body art.
MGK was known for the colourful tattoos that adorned most of his upper body, which included pieces dedicated to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
Now, just a fraction of the previous designs peek out from behind the black cross design that covers his upper torso and arms. Only his lower torso is left as it was. Renowned black-work-only tattoo artists Roxx and Cats did the artwork, which has been confirmed as permanent.
Then, fans were divided on the new artwork, with some upset that he had covered up the pieces he was known for. This latest move is also sure to stir up debate.
